Canada’s Romanist Population Increasing.—According to the 1941 census the details of which are now being made public the Roman Catholic population has increased from 4,284,388 in 1931 to 4,986,552 in 1941. The Roman Catholic population in 1931 was 41.3 per cent and in 1941 it had increased to 43.3 per cent. The large percentage of Romanists in the largest of the members of the British Commonwealth does not encourage us to think that its present splendid loyalty to the Mother Country will be maintained at the same high level. The next largest denomination in Canada is the United Church which has a population of 2,204,875. This Church as many of our readers know is a mongrel mixture of Presbyterianism, Methodism, etc.
The Roman Catholic Hierarchy of England and The White Paper on Educational Reform.—The Romish Church is never asleep when she can gain anything to strengthen her cause. The hierarchy are far from satisfied with the new scheme of educational reform for England and Wales as set forth in the White Paper recently issued by the Government. Among other things they say:—”We have made various constructive proposals, among which are (1) that the Scottish system, with suitable adjustments, could be applied to Catholic schools, or (2) that for new schools we should be aided by a State loan free of interest, or (3) that to remove our anxieties concerning the uncertainties of the future, our liability should be limited to a fixed maximum price per school place. We trust that before the Education Bill is tabled an equitable arrangement will be sought and reached.” We sincerely trust that Parliament will not make the same blundering provision for Roman Catholic schools in England and Wales that they did in the Scottish Education Act—an Act which placed these denominational schools on the rates of a Protestant community with privileges which the National Schools, mostly Protestant, do not enjoy.
Things You Cannot Do Without.—1. Without shedding of blood is no remission (Heb. ix. 22). 2. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. xi. 6). 3. Without holiness no man can see the Lord (Heb. xii. 14). 4. Without works faith is dead (James, ii. 26). 5. Without love I am nothing (I. Cor. xiii. 1-3). 6. Without chastisement ye are not sons (Heb. xii. 8). 7. Without me ye can do nothing (John, xv. 5).—Benjamin R. De Jong.
An Appeal for Union.—Dr. John White in course of an address delivered recently in Inverness on the occasion of the centennial celebration of the St. Columba High Church Congregation made an appeal for the ingathering of the Presbyterian denominations still outwith the Church of Scotland. He longs for these to be joined with them in organised union. The appeal, to use a common phrase, leaves us cold. No amount of special pleading can cover the glaring departure of the Church of Scotland from the doctrines and principles that we hold dear as Free Presbyterians. Its relation to the subordinate standards is most unsatisfactory from our stand-point and its discipline very far from what it should be. The retaliatory argument that we are far from what we should be ourselves does not forestall a just and defensible criticism. Another day must come over us and the Church of Scotland ere Dr. White’s pious wish becomes a fact. To tell us that the 1929 union was simply a repairing of the breaches in the broken wall leaves out of account the kind of wall the builders built.
National Humiliation and National Thanksgiving.—The English Churchman calls attention to certain statements made by Dr. Thomas, Bishop of Willochra, South Australia, which are worthy of reproduction. Dr. Thomas wrote: “When we have our next Day of Prayer I hope we shall be called upon to set it aside as a day of humiliation as well. There is a tendency in us as an Empire to thank God that we are not as other men are, and to disparage the achievements of others nations. We are inclined to minimize our glaring faults and to speak lightly of our sins. While we can be thankful to God for all He has allowed us to do and be and give Him the glory, we must recollect that we have misused the advantages we possess, and we allow evils to flourish in our midst which but for our indolence and carelessness would not exist. Above all, God is neglected in our daily life, especially in times of worldly prosperity, and we do not give Him the worship which He is due. We are as a people intemperate in many of our habits, and our outlook is largely pagan. Those who like to be thought of as good people are often a stumbling-block to others by their lack of consideration and charity. I could add to this list, but I have written enough to indicate that we are far from being what we ought to be and could be if we were Christ’s faithful followers. Our enemies may deride us because we humble ourselves before God, but that doesn’t matter—remembering that a humble and contrite heart He will not despise. We must plead earnestly for forgiveness for our many sins and failings. We cannot build anything worth while and enduring upon an unforgiven past.”